Pacific Beach is about to welcome one of the most eyebrow-raising restaurant debuts in recent memory, as controversial wellness influencer and entrepreneur Jeremy Ogorek, better known as "VanMan," is preparing to open VanMan's Grassfed Burgers & Tallow Fries. The burger joint is moving into the space that housed a branch of Donut Bar for six years and marks the first physical outpost from Ogorek's rapidly growing natural product empire. The location was previously slated to become a branch of The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, but that deal fell through before VanMan secured the lease.
Best known for founding The VanMan Company, Ogorek turned a back-to-basics lifestyle and a distrust of modern consumer goods into a $5 million-a-year business, hawking handmade personal care products like tallow and honey balm, bone-based tooth powder, and sweet onion shampoo. His devoted online following - 566,000 on Instagram, 10,000 on Facebook and over 5,000 on Twitter (X) - has grown alongside his brand, but not without controversy.
VanMan's social media presence is a mix of folksy naturalism, conspiracy-tinged warnings about corporate control, and far-right commentary, including posts disparaging marginalized groups and questioning everything from dental practices to fashion advertising. Despite - or perhaps because of - his polarizing views, VanMan has cultivated a fiercely loyal audience and a booming direct-to-consumer business.
The expansion into food service also arrives during a mini burger renaissance along Garnet Avenue. For The Win, a popular Los Angeles-based burger chain, recently opened its first San Diego location just blocks away, while Smash and Stack, a former food truck, made the leap to brick-and-mortar earlier this summer. In contrast, The Friendly, known for its irreverent smash burgers, quietly shuttered its PB location in June after just over a year in business.
With VanMan's Grassfed Burgers & Tallow Fries, Ogorek appears to be testing whether his brand's online influence and anti-mainstream ethos can translate into foot traffic and food sales. Given the ongoing debates over wellness, food sourcing, and identity politics playing out in the comment sections of his posts, the restaurant's launch is sure to spark buzz, and likely backlash, in equal measure. Whether it’s embraced as a health-conscious haven or dismissed as another influencer-driven stunt, it’s likely to get people talking - and posting.
Now, Ogorek is bringing his brand of natural living to the restaurant world with a menu focused on grass-fed burgers and fries cooked in beef tallow - fats sourced from the very animals his skincare products rely on. The new spot is located in the same plaza as Local H2O and Desserts by Clément and is expected to reflect the company's "use the whole animal" philosophy, promoting regenerative agriculture and nose-to-tail sustainability.
The expansion into food service also arrives during a mini burger renaissance along Garnet Avenue. For The Win, a popular Los Angeles-based burger chain, recently opened its first San Diego location just blocks away, while Smash and Stack, a former food truck, made the leap to brick-and-mortar earlier this summer. In contrast, The Friendly, known for its irreverent smash burgers, quietly shuttered its PB location in June after just over a year in business.
With VanMan's Grassfed Burgers & Tallow Fries, Ogorek appears to be testing whether his brand's online influence and anti-mainstream ethos can translate into foot traffic and food sales. Given the ongoing debates over wellness, food sourcing, and identity politics playing out in the comment sections of his posts, the restaurant's launch is sure to spark buzz, and likely backlash, in equal measure. Whether it’s embraced as a health-conscious haven or dismissed as another influencer-driven stunt, it’s likely to get people talking - and posting.
Originally published on August 7, 2025.
